Month: March 2026

At 62, I can tell you that my breakdown was the greatest gift of my life. I know how that sounds. At 55, lying awake shaking at 3am, I would not have believed it either.

Going Straight Through the Darkness

Dante wrote that the journey to the other side of darkness begins by going straight through it. At the time I would not have called my breakdown a journey. I would have called it the worst thing that ever happened to me. Now I know it was both. And I know it was necessary.

It began quietly in my art studio in May 2019. A tearing eye I ignored. Pain behind my ear I brushed aside. By evening the left side of my face had gone numb. What followed over the next seven months was my body’s complete refusal to be ignored. Unrelenting insomnia. Constant shaking. Maddening tinnitus. Thirty pounds gone. Every medical test came back normal. Which somehow made it worse.

Naming the Issue

In January 2020 I entered a residential trauma treatment facility and was diagnosed with PTSD. I am naming that directly because too many women carry something like it without a name, and the not naming makes it heavier.

What the breakdown gave me was this. The truth. Years of performing wellness while quietly disappearing inside. Looking completely fine on the outside while something essential was going dark within. My body was never broken. It was finally being honest with me in the only way I had left it.

Sound Familiar?

By the time we reach our late 50s and 60s we have absorbed so much. Careers. Children. Marriages. Loss. We became experts at pushing through. But the body keeps a record of everything the mind tries to move past. And, at some point, it stops asking politely.

That persistent fatigue that sleep does not fix. The tension so familiar it feels normal. The low hum of unease you cannot quite name. These are not simply signs of aging. They are your body offering you the same gift mine offered me. The truth about what you need.

Three ways to begin untangling it:

Get Curious Instead of Dismissive

When something feels off, notice it without judgment. You do not need answers right away. Just stop overriding yourself.

Create Small Moments of Pause

Three slow breaths. A hand on your heart. A moment outside before responding to something difficult. The nervous system responds to small quiet signals of safety.

Let Stillness Be Medicine

For a body that has been running on high alert for decades, stillness is not laziness. It is where the gift begins to reveal itself.

Dante eventually found his way through. So did I. And what waited on the other side was something I could not have found any other way. Myself.

Your body has been patient. It will keep speaking until you are ready to listen. And when you are, that is where everything begins to change.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

What if the signal your body has been sending you is not a warning but a gift? What truth might it be trying to offer you right now?

Photo: @paige_desorbo

Style Stealers

!function(d,s,id){
var e, p = /^http:/.test(d.location) ? ‘http’ : ‘https’;
if(!d.getElementById(id)) {
e = d.createElement(s);
e.id = id;
e.src = p + ‘://widgets.rewardstyle.com/js/shopthepost.js’;
d.body.appendChild(e);
}
if(typeof window.__stp === ‘object’) if(d.readyState === ‘complete’) {
window.__stp.init();
}
}(document, ‘script’, ‘shopthepost-script’);

Turn on your JavaScript to view content

Top Posts

Amanda Batula’s Cartier Watch from Kyle

Mia Calabrese’s Blue Gingham Mini Dress

Rachel Zoe’s Foundation Stick

Ciara Miller’s White Babydoll Dress

Dorit Kemsley’s Polka Dot Look in Italy

Amanda Batula’s Yellow Silk Crop Top and Skirt

Southern Charm Season 11 Reunion Looks

Kyle Richards’ Green Floral Pants and Yellow Top

Ciara Miller’s Pink Strapless Maxi Dress

Kyle Richards’ Light Flared Jeans and Blue Striped Cropped Shirt

Ciara Miller’s Tan Sheer Balloon Sleeve Top and Sunglasses

Rachel Zoe’s Baroque Print Long Dress

Ciara Miller’s Beige Pleated Poplin Midi Dress

Rachel Zoe’s Eyeshadow Stick

Kyle Richards’ Lip Gloss in the Hamptons

Dorit Kemsley’s Red Knotted Tank Top

Kyle Richards’ Aviator Glasses

Rachel Zoe’s Lip Gloss

Kyle Richards’ Floral Leopard Confessional Look

Kyle Richards’ Black and White Bodysuit

Originally posted at: Paige DeSorbo’s Yellow Draped Mini Dress

Click Here for Additional Stock / Here for More Stock

Click Here for Additional Stock in Her Jeans / Here for More Stock

Photo: @amandabatula

Style Stealers

!function(d,s,id){
var e, p = /^http:/.test(d.location) ? ‘http’ : ‘https’;
if(!d.getElementById(id)) {
e = d.createElement(s);
e.id = id;
e.src = p + ‘://widgets.rewardstyle.com/js/shopthepost.js’;
d.body.appendChild(e);
}
if(typeof window.__stp === ‘object’) if(d.readyState === ‘complete’) {
window.__stp.init();
}
}(document, ‘script’, ‘shopthepost-script’);

Turn on your JavaScript to view content

Top Posts

Amanda Batula’s Cartier Watch from Kyle

Mia Calabrese’s Blue Gingham Mini Dress

Rachel Zoe’s Foundation Stick

Ciara Miller’s White Babydoll Dress

Dorit Kemsley’s Polka Dot Look in Italy

Amanda Batula’s Yellow Silk Crop Top and Skirt

Southern Charm Season 11 Reunion Looks

Kyle Richards’ Green Floral Pants and Yellow Top

Ciara Miller’s Pink Strapless Maxi Dress

Kyle Richards’ Light Flared Jeans and Blue Striped Cropped Shirt

Ciara Miller’s Tan Sheer Balloon Sleeve Top and Sunglasses

Rachel Zoe’s Baroque Print Long Dress

Ciara Miller’s Beige Pleated Poplin Midi Dress

Rachel Zoe’s Eyeshadow Stick

Kyle Richards’ Lip Gloss in the Hamptons

Dorit Kemsley’s Red Knotted Tank Top

Kyle Richards’ Aviator Glasses

Rachel Zoe’s Lip Gloss

Kyle Richards’ Floral Leopard Confessional Look

Kyle Richards’ Black and White Bodysuit

Originally posted at: Amanda Batula’s Grey Cutout Embellished Top and Peplum Jeans

With the unseasonal warm weather for mid-March in the west of England, I was excited to be out in the garden. Due to a recent operation there were so many tasks left undone, and I was keen to get moving. Spring wasn’t going to wait for anyone!

Alas, about an hour later, I felt the familiar pain which was my body telling me to rest… or else I would suffer for the next few days. Feeling rather disappointed, I plonked myself in a garden chair, elevated my leg, pulled a warm throw over my lap and prepared to wait out my rest period, the last thing I wanted to do.

Only Something Beautiful Happened…

While I sat snuggled on the chair, a bright red Robin made its way over to me. Each hop a little closer, each move a little bolder. We looked at each other, him almost close enough to touch, me not daring to move. He cocked his head to one side, all the while singing a delightful song. We both stayed still for some time, and I like to think he gave me a cheeky wink before flying off. 🙂

As I watched him, I became aware of all the other bird song, each one merrily tweeting away – calling to family and friends, warning of any danger, maybe letting them know where the best food was. A little community all of their own.

Though we are some distance from the sea, there is a large reservoir close by which attracts many seagulls. Each calling in their own desperate, piercing cry. You can just imagine them calling ‘Feed me, Now!’ I love how bossy they are. 🙂

Though the day was warm, the clouds swept over the sun, sending brief shivers through me, before just moments later, another burst of heat warmed my grateful body, and I sank lazily into the cushions, enjoying my enforced break.

The Sound of Springtime

Just down the lane, the children were in the school playground, and I could hear shrieks of laughter, and the ever present sound of the football being kicked across the pitch. Soon it would be home time, with parents eager to hear about the day’s events and lots of hugs and kisses for mums and dads. How fast these times go! Some of my happiest memories! 🙂

A little further away, I could hear the newborn lambs in the field, and the sound of farmers in their tractors trundling up and down the fields. Could there be a more idyllic backdrop to spring?

The solar water feature was shooting up little fountains, and the sound of them trickling turned my head. What a delightful scene unfolded as a tiny blue tit danced at the edge of the water, its wings fluttering so as to be thoroughly clean. 🙂

I sat in my chair taking in everything around me – the washing gently flapping in the breeze, the birds soaring overhead, the children laughing in the school yard, the farmers driving their tractors, the lambs playing in the fields – and I realised just how very lucky I am to live in such a beautiful place.

Finding My Place

As a relatively new inhabitant of the village, this place truly warms my heart. Wherever I go, people stop and say hello, the post lady calls me by my name, the garage drops me off when they service my car. I have a handyman who lives close by, who is happy to change my high lightbulbs or put up a shelf, sometimes without even wishing to charge.

My rest period was almost over but my 30 minutes had recharged me, not only physically, but emotionally. It reminded me of all the things that are really important to me… most of them free. We can get so caught up in what needs to be done, that we forget to just sit back and enjoy it.

As I got up to resume my work, a dark cloud was on the horizon and rain was on its way. Instead of feeling frustrated, I packed my things away for another day. 

I took myself inside, made a nice cup of tea and cut a slice of homemade fruit cake. Then gently sank into the armchair by the fireside. Looks like I am in for another beautiful 30 minutes.

Well, there’s always tomorrow! 🙂

Join the Conversation:

Do you take time to enjoy your surroundings? What do you like to notice? How does nature make you feel? What makes you stop and notice the beauty around you?

There comes a point in life when you begin to look at your story differently. Not just where you’re going, but where you’ve been.

The choices you made. The roles you played. The responsibilities you carried.

And for many women over 60, a quiet question begins to emerge:

What does this next chapter mean for me now?

Honoring the Life You’ve Already Lived

During Women’s History Month, we celebrate the women who came before us – those who challenged expectations and expanded what was possible.

But we don’t always pause to recognize this: You are part of that history.

The way you showed up in your work, your family, and your community matters. Your life has shaped others in ways you may not even fully see.

And yet, even with all that experience, something inside may still be shifting.

Not dramatically.

But quietly.

When the Roles Begin to Change

For many women in this season, daily life begins to look different. Careers may have ended or evolved. Children are grown. Schedules are less structured.

There can be freedom in that.

But also uncertainty.

Without the roles that once defined you, a new question often arises:

Who am I now?

This isn’t a question of loss. It’s a question of expansion.

This Is Not the Epilogue

There is a common belief that later life is about slowing down or stepping back. But what if this chapter is something else entirely?

What if it’s a time to:

• Reconnect with parts of yourself that were set aside.
• Explore interests that didn’t fit into earlier seasons.
• Contribute in ways that feel more aligned now.
• Deepen relationships and personal meaning.

Not because you have to. But because you can.

Listening to What Still Calls You

One of the most powerful shifts in this stage of life is returning to your own voice.

Not the voice of expectation. Not the voice of responsibility. But your voice.

The one that may have been quieted over the years by everything you needed to do.

Now, with more perspective, many women begin asking:

What still calls to me?

The answer doesn’t need to be big. Sometimes it’s as simple as writing, mentoring, volunteering, creating, or connecting.

Or simply allowing yourself to enjoy life more fully.

A Few Questions to Consider

If you find yourself in this season of reflection, you might pause and ask:

• What parts of my life have brought me the most meaning?
• What have I learned about myself over the years?
• What would I like more of in this chapter – not because I have to, but because I want to?

There is no right answer.

Only your answer.

Still Writing the Story

Women’s History Month reminds us that history isn’t only something we look back on. It’s something we continue writing.

Through the way we live. Through the way we connect. Through the choices we make.

And no matter your age, your story is still unfolding. Not in the same way it once did. But perhaps in a more intentional way.

Because this chapter is not the epilogue.

It’s simply a different kind of beginning.

Let’s Reflect Together:

Does this resonate with where you are right now? What does this chapter of your life look like for you?